MERCHANT: ...And kept walking. I thought, this is going to get me in a room. And it didn't. I stayed in the hallway for another two hours. Released in 2023, Natalie Merchant’s eighth studio album, Keep Your Courage, once again focuses on introspective lyrics, folk-inspired melodies, and her distinct vocal style. Merchant’s longevity in the industry is a testament to her prowess as a vocalist and performer, but never has she released such a poignant and sonically pleasing album for I dare say that Keep Your Courage is the greatest creative work of her illustrious career. Darker still is “Guardian Angel”, the only song on Keep Your Courage that’s been sitting around, unrecorded, for years. Written for a friend who, in the space of two years, had to bury her children and her husband, Merchant turns the idea of a guileless unseen protector on its head. What if they’re lazy? What if they’re just not paying attention? RASCOE: So - but - and, like, is that OK with you, you know, being able to go to the grocery store?

It was a time when there was still slavery and women had absolutely no rights whatsoever. Native American people were being murdered on their own land. And he was aware of all that. He was a reporter, and he volunteered in the hospitals of both the Union and the Confederacy [in the American Civil War], caring for men who were dying of the racism and horrible hatred that turned our country against itself. He lived through all of that but could still say, ‘I believe in the promise of this country’.” RASCOE: Let's dive into that tune, "Sister Tilly." You're singing about a character who wears Joan Didion sunglasses. Merchant has never been one to do things half-heartedly, but every note and detail here feels deeply considered in a way that goes beyond her own strict standards.’ Through its ten songs, Merchant explores themes of love and passion as essential to the human experience: “For the Greeks, when the spirit of love descended, it was seen as a kind of assault; you would become powerless against an all-consuming, sweet madness,” she says. “Amazingly, humans still crave it, in spite of the perils.”Nonesuch has announced Natalie Merchant’s first album of new songs in nearly a decade. Keep Your Courage is to be released on 14 April 2023.

What did you learn from working with all those people then? Did they teach you anything, or what takeaways did you have from working with all those different people? Pedder, Alan (April 21, 2023). "Natalie Merchant: "When I say keep your courage, I'm talking to myself as much as anyone"". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved April 22, 2023. RASCOE: You were at a point where people could really hurt you when you love them, right? That's the deepest hurt, right?

Companies, etc.

But also the production. I've had less opportunities to perfect that, because I only make a record every five years. But it feels like this is the culmination of all those recording projects I've ever been involved in. I'm really proud of the production on this record. I think it's the best-sounding record I've ever made. MERCHANT: Abena Koomson-Davis is the musical director of the Resistance Revival Chorus, and I met her through doing a Get Out the Vote event in the Hudson Valley. We actually staged the largest political event in the history of our area. And I just fell in love with her voice and her energy and told her that I would love to collaborate someday. And once I had these songs written, we went in the studio and put them together. MERCHANT: (Singing) There's only one way to survive. You got to hold on to your pride. Big girls, they don't cry. Keep Your Courage was recorded in Guilford Sound in Brattleboro, VT. It was produced by Natalie Merchant, recorded by Dave Snyder and mixed by Ryan Freeland. These songs are alchemy in the highest form possible.We all need to be reminded that such beauty exists.” – Valerie June

Hunting The Wren shifts the tone to be one of a more melancholy approach than we’ve heard thus far. It’s haunting and will make you sit up and take notice but the boldness of the sonic experience ensures that the senses are heightened when listening to this memorable tune. Brandle, Lars (April 18, 2023). "Metallica Heading to U.K. Chart Summit With '72 Seasons' ". Billboard . Retrieved April 18, 2023. Honigmann, David (April 12, 2023). "Singer Natalie Merchant: 'It was important to assert my identity. Because I'd lost it' ". Financial Times . Retrieved April 12, 2023. When it was recorded, I sent the song to Ian and he was very kind and complimentary. I remember how I felt when Christy Moore covered my song, Motherland, and how when I played Irish shows people would say to me afterwards that it was great to hear a Christy Moore song being covered by me!”Just the fact that I was doing it, that was what was different. [Laughs.] I redirected my creative energies for years into other areas, in other directions. I couldn't commit to that cycle of writing, recording, touring that I'd lived for 20 years before I had my daughter. It consumes so much energy and time. I wanted to be a good parent. And I'm a single mother, so I'm it. RASCOE: As a part of your upcoming tour, you're supposed to be performing with an orchestra at the Lincoln Center in New York and Disney Hall in LA and the National Symphony. Did young Natalie ever envision this for herself?